Fragments of Dreams
by starscriptmage
Summary: "So Enami-senpai likes Tanaka-san and Tanaka-san likes Shimizu-senpai and Suga-senpai likes Enami-senpai," concludes Hinata, "but nobody likes the person who likes them!" In which Daichi is the protective big brother, Tanaka is stupid, and Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei play matchmaker. Tanaka/OC/Sugawara. Written in short chunks.
1. bentos, girls, and unnecessary violence

.

.

.

 _bentos, girls, and unnecessary violence_

.

.

.

"RYUU!" someone shouts at the door. "RYUUUUU! I BROUGHT YOUR BENTO FOR YOU!"

Hinata and Kageyama look up to see a second-year girl walk in, her short russet red hair tousled from running and her shirt completely rumpled.

"Excuse me, but where's Ryuu?" she says to them, cocking her head to one side.

"Oh, Tanaka-san?" Kageyama says, blinking.

"Tanaka's just gone to the washroom," Suga tells her.

She sighs.

"All the effort I put into this for _nothing_ ," she grumbles, hefting the bento over her shoulder.

"Is - Is that Tanaka-san's girlfriend?" Hinata whispers to Suga.

The setter starts in surprise, then shakes his head. Picking up a volleyball and spinning it around in his hands, he explains.

"She lives near his house, and they've known each other since their third year of middle school," he says. "Her name is Enami Tsukiko, and she's currently part of the girls' volleyball team."

"Currently?" Kageyama frowns.

"Yep!" Tsukiko grins at him, straightening her skirt. "I got kicked out of the soccer club, the swimming club, the baseball club, and the basketball club."

"For what?"

She gives him a sly look.

"Unnecessary violence," she says.

Hinata gulps.

"She's just teasing," Nishinoya says. "Enami-chan's actually not that bad."

"She just happened to give the dean a concussion on the first day of school," Asahi mutters.

"She did _what_?!" Hinata and Kageyama chorus.

Tsukiko laughs self-consciously.

"Oh, it was nothing," she says. "He was only out for four hours."

 _Four hours?_ everyone can almost hear the first-years think.

"Ah, by the way, I'm a spiker," says Tsukiko. "And I've still got lots of energy. Can someone set for me?"

"We're doomed," Hinata thinks he hears Asahi mutter.

"Shut up," Tsukiko says happily. "Koushi-kun, can you?"

"Sure, Tsukiko."

She tugs off her skirt, making Hinata, Kageyama, and Yamaguchi nearly get heart attacks, and reveals a pair of shorts underneath.

"All right!" she shouts.

Suga tosses the ball up and sets it neatly, letting the ball fly straight up.

"Thanks!" she says, grinning.

Leaping up, her bangs fluttering, Tsukiko pulls her arm back and smacks the ball so hard it nearly sinks into the floor with a fantastic bang.

Hinata's eyes sparkle with admiration.

"C-Cool!" he says as Tsukiko lands, dusting off her fingers.

"I know, right?" she says cheerfully, without a hint of arrogance.

A pair of footsteps near the door, and Tsukiko's mood changes instantly.

"RYUUUUU!" she bellows, picking up her bento and swinging it around maniacally. It whirs around her hand and she lets it go.

Hinata and Kageyama watch with new-found respect as it flies across the court and into Tanaka's face.

"OW!" he says. "... oh. Tsukiko. Should've known."

"Hello, Ryuu!" Tsukiko flashes him her signature grin, winking. "Brought your bento for you!"

… _unnecessary violence, indeed_ , is the thought that runs through all four of the first years' minds.

.

.

.

"So, if Enami-senpai isn't Tanaka-san's girlfriend, what is she?" Hinata says. He gestures at Tsukiko, who is talking animatedly with Tanaka, her face flushed and her eyes almost shimmering with excitement.

"She calls him Ryuu as well," Yamaguchi adds.

Suga and Daichi's smiles disappear, and even Nishinoya casts his eyes down. Asahi clears his throat awkwardly and goes to fetch another volleyball.

"... well," Daichi says, sighing, "you'll see."

"Huh?" Hinata asks.

Then the door swings open and Kiyoko enters with an armful of water bottles. She sets them down and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Tanaka's face splits in a grin, stopping mid-conversation.

"Kiyoko-san!" he says, bounding over to her like a deer. "You're looking even more beautiful today!"

He's completely forgotten the bento, which is now lying on its side on the court.

Suga tilts his head towards Tsukiko, and they turn.

Hinata swallows.

On Tsukiko's face is an absolute expression of pain, and her eyes are shimmering again, but not with happiness.

"I see," Kageyama says.


	2. oh, the things i would do to him

.

.

.

 _oh, the things I would do to him..._

.

.

.

"Tanaka's just stupid, is all," Daichi says, rolling up his sleeves. His expression darkens. "Oh, the things I would do to him…"

"Daichi went to the same elementary school as Tsukiko, and so did I," Suga says. "So he's kind of like an older brother to her."

 _I'm glad I'm not Tanaka-san_ , thinks Hinata and Kageyama, as they see Daichi's face. Shivers run down their spines as he clenches his fist, his teeth gritted.

"Haven't you guys tried anything?" Yamaguchi says, taking a gulp of water.

"Of course we have," Nishinoya says. "Like the Valentine's Day incident - "

"Yeah, that," says Ennoshita.

"And the White Day incident - "

"Now _that_ went wrong in so many ways," Asahi sighs.

"And the lock-them-up-in-the-closet incident - "

"Don't even mention that one," Daichi snarls.

"I love Kiyoko-san and she's an angel," Nishinoya says dreamily, "but I kinda feel sad for Tsukiko.

"And there was also that time where Tanaka accidentally ki - "

"NOT THAT ONE, NISHINOYA," roars Daichi.

"But honestly, we can definitely see that Enami-senpai likes Tanaka-san," Hinata says, puzzled, "so why doesn't Tanaka-san know?"

"Because he's the biggest airhead in the entire universe, that's why," says Tsukiko, leaning against the net.

"Aah! Enami-senpai!" Hinata nearly screeches.

"It's okay," she says, patting his head. "Besides, I figure I'll tell him someday."

"You'll what?" everyone says at once. "Really?"

"After I drop-kick him to Tokyo, of course," she adds.

"But anyways, it's nice to see that everyone cares." Tsukiko picks a ball off the floor and spikes it to the other side of the court. "Even though he evidently doesn't."

"Enami-senpaiiii," Hinata bawls, tears pouring like a waterfall down his face.

"Eh? What?" she says, confused. "No, stop crying - I mean, did I do something? Aah, shoot, now you're crying more - I'm really, really sorry - you guys, _help_ \- "

"It's just too sad," Hinata sniffs. "But good luck."

"Since Tanaka's too stupid for his own good, anyway," Daichi says. His eyebrows lower. "Speaking of which, where is that good-for-nothing idiot?"

"Don't kill him," Tsukiko calls over her shoulder as Daichi marches toward said spiker.

"Too late," Asahi sighs.

.

.

.

"Well, Ryuu?" Tsukiko finally says, as Tanaka floats towards them. "How was it?"

"How was what?" Tanaka says, coming out of his trance.

"My bento. The one I made for you. That one."

She points to the ground.

"You made me a bento?" he asks, bewildered. "Since when?"

"See?" Daichi cracks his knuckles. "Oh, that little - "

"Calm down, Daichi," Asahi says hastily.

"Feh."

.

.

.

"Remember how I said I was going to tell him?" Tsukiko says, stretching her arms.

"Yeah, but - " Kageyama says.

She grins.

"I'm doing it today!"

A pause.

"EHHH?"

"No way!" Nishinoya says, impressed.

"R-Really?" Asahi looks terrified.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY," Daichi roars.

"Are you sure - " Suga begins worriedly

"Yes." Tsukiko hurls a volleyball at Tsukishima, who catches it neatly.

"Nice," she says, grinning. "You're not too bad."

"But really?" says Yamaguchi timidly.

"Better get it over with." Tsukiko sighs. "Of course, I already know the answer, but I do have to tell him _some_ time, right?"

"That doesn't mean you should do it now," Daichi grumbles.

"Tomorrow being Valentine's Day and everything," she adds.

"You're not even listening, are you?"


	3. hang in there!

.

.

.

 _hang in there!_

.

.

.

Suga looks at Tsukiko, as everyone starts cleaning up the volleyballs.

"Are you really going to?" he says.

"Yeah."

She picks at her shorts.

"I mean, if I don't do it now, when will I, right?"

Tsukiko sighs, leaning back.

"That little bonehead'll have the shock of his life, anyways."

"I - I see."

Hinata pats Daichi on the shoulder.

"Um," he says.

"Yeah?" Daichi turns.

"I've just noticed something, but - "

"What?"

"Suga-senpai's looking at Enami-senpai the way Enami-senpai looks at Tanaka-san," he says.

"What? Really?" Yamaguchi and Ennoshita turn.

"What? You're joking!" Nishinoya and Asahi gape, at a loss for words.

"Yeah, there's that, too," Daichi says heavily.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Nishinoya wails. "All the things we did to get Ryuu and Tsukiko together - they must've really made Suga-san depressed!"

"But he participated in all our scheming!" Asahi says, confused. "So why - "

"It's because his first priority is Tsukiko's happiness, and not his," Daichi growls. "That Suga needs a whack - "

"Enough whacking for the day," Asahi nearly begs.

"What's this?" Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei enter. "Why are you guys looking so stressed?"

Hinata and Nishinoya explain everything.

"... and so Enami-senpai likes Tanaka-san and Tanaka-san likes Shimizu-senpai and Suga-senpai likes Enami-senpai," concludes Hinata, "but nobody likes the person who likes them!"

"What a mess," Tsukishima says.

"Aah, seriously, you kids." Coach Ukai lets out a _pfft_ , crossing his arms. "Fine, I'll help."

"You'll… help?"

"First of all, tell me about this Enami Tsukiko."

Everyone exploded into conversation.

"She makes bentos for Tanaka-san."

"She spikes like _pow_ and _bang_!"

"She's pretty tall, I guess, but Tanaka's about a centimeter taller."

"Um, Enami-senpai seems like a girl version of Nishinoya-senpai."

Everyone stares at Kageyama.

"... really?" Nishinoya says.

Kageyama turns red.

"W-Well, she's energetic and knows she's good, but she doesn't brag about it," he mumbles, "so I thought that seemed pretty similar."

"Okay. Anything else?" Coach Ukai asks.

"Animals hate her," Asahi says.

"She dresses like a boy?" Nishinoya frowns, thinking.

"She does a killer delinquent face," Daichi offers.

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Well, she does!" Daichi says defensively. "Oi, Tsukiko! Come show these cocky first years your best delinquent face!"

To make a long story short, the first years were traumatized for life.

"Y-Yeah, she's kind of similar to Tanaka-san, too," Kageyama nearly squeaks.

"S-S-Scary," Yamaguchi says in a voice three octaves higher than normal.

"Just watch this," Daichi grins evilly. "Tanaka, Tsukiko! Do your Double Delinquent combo!"

Obediently, the two tilted their heads back and complied.

"You look way too happy," Nishinoya says.

"You've given them a death sentence, Daichi," moans Asahi.

"I - I can't - " Hinata chokes, then his head jerks back.

"AGH! Towel, towel! Someone get a towel and some water!"

"Hang in there, Hinata!"


	4. from triangle to square

.

.

.

 _from triangle to square_

.

.

.

"That's quite the dilemma, though," Takeda-sensei says. "Especially since Enami-san wants to, er, confess to Tanaka-kun right away."

"We have to stop her!" Nishinoya says.

"Suga-senpaiiii," Hinata sniffles.

"Shut up and stop crying," Tsukishima says.

"But Suga-senpai'll - he'll - "

"I'll what?"

Suga squats down, looking curious.

"Why's Hinata crying? What are you guys talking about?"

"Sports."

"The weather."

"School."

"Japan in general."

Suga raises an eyebrow at the sudden blurting of excuses. Evidently, he wasn't convinced.

"We were discussing Enami-san's love life," Coach Ukai says.

"COACH!" everyone groans.

"Oh, you are?" Suga looks surprised. "What about her love life?"

"The odd love square between Enami-san, Shimizu, Tanaka, and you."

Hinata stares at Suga with bated breath, but all he does is turn a light pink.

"How - " he begins.

"It was kind of obvious," says pretty much everybody.

"Ah." Suga turns a deeper pink and Hinata stands, determined.

"We'll help you, Suga-senpai!" he shouts. "Don't worry!"

"SHHH!" Asahi hisses.

"We're all rooting for you," Ennoshita says, smiling.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner!?" Nishinoya bawls.

"There's really no need to do anything," Suga says, flapping his hand at them. They become quiet, staring at him.

"What?" says Daichi.

"But Suga-senpai!" Yamaguchi protests.

"You can't force someone to fall in love with you," Suga says firmly. "Please don't… do anything to Tsukiko. I'm well aware of our current friendship, and I don't want to ruin it."

He walks away, leaving them speechless.

.

.

.

"Suga?" laughs Tsukiko. "He's a great friend! He's the one who taught me to cook! Also, we're about the same height, which makes him pretty annoyed. Not to mention he helps me with homework, too…"

Hinata exchanges a glance with Nishinoya.

"No use," he moans.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Tsukiko looks confused.

"Haven't you ever thought about Suga as _more_ than a friend?" Nishinoya says, and everybody freezes.

"Are you stupid or something?" Daichi looks ready to explode.

"Oh shoot, oh shoot," Asahi whispers.

"Um, well, yeah," Tsukiko says slowly, and everyone stares.

"Really?" Kageyama says.

"Yeah!" Tsukiko grins. "I've always wanted to be his best friend!"

"..."

.

.

.

"Do you know what, this isn't working," Nishinoya says. "What other kind of tactics do we have? Any suggestions? Blind dates? Locking-in-the-closet?"

"Blind dates isn't going to work," Hinata says, frowning. "Since Enami-senpai likes Tanaka-san too much to go out on one."

" _Not_ the locking-in-the-closet one again," Daichi says. "Not now, not ever."

"Again?"

Asahi sighs.

"You don't want to know."

"How about we just leave them that alone for now?" says Yamaguchi worriedly. "'Cause Enami-senpai did say she was going to tell Tanaka-san you-know-what, and she's heading over to him right now."

"She's _what_?"


	5. the person we're rooting for

.

.

.

 _the person we're rooting for_

.

.

.

"Hey, Ryuu, can I talk to you about something?" Tsukiko says, putting down her volleyball.

"Yeah, sure, what?" he says.

"Um, well, I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, but - "

CRASH!

"OUCH! What was that for, Hinata!?"

Tanaka rubs his head, a bruise beginning to develop where said spiker's water bottle had hit him.

"Ahaha, my bad, Tanaka-san," says Hinata sheepishly.

"That was incredibly stupid," Kageyama hisses.

"Oh, shoot, here she goes again," Ennoshita says, as Tsukiko begins to speak again.

"U-Uh, Tanaka, I need your help over here!" Daichi calls. "Please come here and teach these ignorant little first years how to do a delinquent face!"

"Sure thing!" Tanaka brightens.

 _Phew,_ thinks Hinata. _Good timing, Captain._

.

.

.

"Well, what I was going to say was - "

"Tanaka! You forgot your bag!"

"Oh, thanks!"

.

.

.

"Um - "

"OUCH! _HINATA!_ I _told_ you not to spike the ball at your water bottle because _it hurts when it hits my head, dammit!_ "

"Sorry!"

.

.

.

"Can I - "

"TANAKA GET YOUR MISERABLE LITTLE BACKSIDE OVER HERE AND SHOW THEM FIRST YEARS HOW A PROPER SPIKE IS DONE."

"... I thought Hinata and Tsukishima could already spike?"

"SHUT UP AND COME OVER HERE."

.

.

.

"Uh, like I was saying - "

"Tanaka-senpaiiii! Do you want to go have meat buns later?"

"Meat buns? Did someone say meat buns? I'M IN!"

.

.

.

"Ryuu - "

"WATCH OUT!"

 _Bang_.

"OKAY WHO WAS IT."

"I'm really, _really_ sorry!"

"... you seem a lot clumsier than usual today, Hinata."

"Oh, really? Ahhh. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm not feeling well."

"This is not working," Asahi says, exhausted. "That was the fourth time Hinata hit Tanaka in the head with something, not to mention Enami-san's looking a little suspicious. How many more excuses can we come up with?"

"It's almost the end of the day," Nishinoya replies. "But anyway, don't they live close? We can't chaperone them on their walk home, you know."

"I didn't think of that." Daichi looks a little annoyed. "If Tanaka makes Tsukiko cry, on the other hand…"

"D-D-D-Deep breaths, Captain."

"Tch."

They all look up to see Tsukiko, who's just pinning back her bangs with a black barrette.

"So you guys _are_ trying to stop me from talking to Tanaka," she says.

"N-N-N-N-" Hinata stutters.

"It's not what you think it is!" Yamaguchi blurts.

"W-What? What are you talking about?" says Asahi.

Tsukiko sighs, slipping back into her skirt.

"If you guys didn't approve of me doing so, why didn't you say sooner?" she asks.

Daichi is chagrined to see Hinata beginning to tear up again.

"Because we don't want you to cry, Enami-senpai," he says.

Her eye twitches.

"Who says I'm going to cry?" she demands. "I was just going to tell Tanaka that I like him. If he says yes, he likes me too, then good, because I didn't see that coming. If he says no, he doesn't like me, then that gives me a chance to try again, right? I'll win him over somehow. I only meant to inform him about what my intentions are."

"'You can't force someone to fall in love with you'," Nishinoya mutters, quoting Suga.

"Of course I know that! You think I don't know that?" Tsukiko says. "I'm not forcing him. I'm waiting to see how things work out."

"And telling him you like him helps anything _how_?" Daichi says sourly.

She exhaled, straightening her collar.

"Fine, I'll do it tomorrow," she concludes. "I don't really have the nerve to right now, and besides, I need to make chocolate. Besides that, why are you so against me and Tanaka together? This afternoon, Hinata seemed plenty supportive, and so did you guys."

"There's someone else we're rooting for, too," Yamaguchi says shyly.

"I see."

Her eyes narrow, and she turns away.

"Well, I'll do my best."

Stiffly, Tsukiko walks out. They can see that the hand gripping the hem of her shirt is shaking, and her steps are hard and fast.

"Shoot," says Hinata. "She thinks we're rooting for Shimizu-senpai."


	6. it's natural

.

.

.

 _it's normal_

.

.

.

When she finally reaches home, Tsukiko dumps everything in her bedroom and sprints toward the kitchen, holding a bag of ingredients triumphantly in her hand.

"What are you doing?" says her older sister Minami as Tsukiko skims over the recipe she's chosen.

"Chocolate," Tsukiko answers absentmindedly.

"Wow, really? Is there any way we can help?" A second voice says behind her, and she jumps.

"Saeko-nee!" Tsukiko exclaims.

It's Ryuu's older sister, and she's looking very pleased in her new leather jacket.

"Who's it for?" Saeko asks, then waves her hand. "Never mind. I know it's for Ryuu. You've finally plucked up your courage, now, haven't you?"

"W-Well, yes," Tsukiko mutters, somewhat shocked.

"Do your best!" Saeko winks. "We'll be outside if you need anything."

Tsukiko gives her a smile, her enthusiasm returning.

"Okay!"

.

.

.

After having made a bento for Ryuu every day this past few years, Tsukiko's pretty confident in her cooking skills. Not only can she make eight different bentos, she can make sushi and mochi as well (though she must say, her cake-baking skills are so bad they're the equivalent of the mud pies she used to make when she was in kindergarten).

Despite this, she finds herself very relieved when the chocolate comes out good.

"Thank God," Tsukiko sighs, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. "I was pretty sure I didn't buy enough ingredients to remake it."

She pipes some white chocolate on top, deciding against food colouring, and adds a few sprinkles.

"That should do it," Tsukiko tells herself, popping it into the fridge for tomorrow. She puts all the used cutlery and measuring spoons in the sink, wipes the counter, and tugs off her apron.

"Now all I have to do is wait for tomorrow."

.

.

.

Even though everything's going exactly as Tsukiko has planned, she still feels her stomach writhing in anxiety as she bikes to school. She constantly feels like the box in her bag might accidentally open, or the chocolate will melt, or the way she's riding down the bumpy road might cause a dent. And she feels like she put a little too much effort into her appearance.

She's combed her hair, for once, and ironed her shirt, which was previously so wrinkled it seemed half its size. Minami lent her some lip balm (not without some amusement), and she's even wearing a barrette in her hair - one that isn't black, for the first time in her life.

Ryuu, who's walking next to her, sighs.

"That's the third time you tripped over your own bike," he says. "What's got you so nervous?"

"... nothing."

.

.

.

Suga greets her at the school gate, looking quite sheepish.

"What's wrong, Koushi-kun?" Tsukiko says, after she locks her bike.

"I feel like I'm doing the wrong thing," he says slowly, looking down at his hands. "There's a girl I like and I know I shouldn't be getting my hopes up, but I really want her to give me chocolate today."

"I can't imagine any girl _not_ liking you," Tsukiko replies wryly.

"Yes, well, I think I shouldn't be hanging back and waiting for her to… take the first step, I guess. It's kind of lame, but I'm a little scared."

"That's fine!" Tsukiko laughs, making Suga look startled. "It's natural. Heck, Koushi-kun, if you're scared, I'm so terrified I could collapse on the spot!" She smiles. "But in the end, I guess it's worth it, right? And besides, if you chicken out, there's White Day, too."

Sugawara smiles the kind of smile that says that he disagrees.

"Yeah, I guess."

.

.

.

"I can do this, I can do this, I can do this," Tsukiko chants to herself as the bell rings, signifying the end of class.

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes, then grabs her schoolbag and runs for the gym.

"RYUU!" she yells at the entrance. "Can I talk to you before practice?"

Ryuu looks mildly surprised to see her.

"Well, okay," he says. "Why?"

"Just shut up and come," Tsukiko scowls.

Behind Ryuu, she sees Nishinoya and Hinata give her big, reassuring smiles. Tsukishima, Kageyama, Asahi, and Yamaguchi's eyes follow her as she closes the door behind her. And even Daichi gives her a grudging thumbs-up.

Thanks, everyone, Tsukiko thinks, kind of confused. I thought you were rooting for Kiyoko?

Shaking her head and sighing, she smiles to herself and says to Ryuu, "Wait a minute."

And then she reaches into her bag to take out the chocolate.


	7. kidding, not kidding

.

.

.

 _kidding, not kidding_

.

.

.

"I've liked you for a long time," says Tsukiko.

She thought this would've been incredibly hard to do, but surprisingly, she's perfectly calm. Her heart isn't racing. Her face hasn't heated up. Her knees aren't shaking. She's not shocked at herself at all for doing this.

But Ryuu is.

"W-What?" he sputters, as Tsukiko hands him the box of chocolates. "You're - you're kidding, right? Tell me you're kidding."

He stares at her, dumbfounded.

"I'm not kidding," Tsukiko says.

The chocolate falls from Ryuu's fingers, and she catches it neatly.

Putting it back in his hands, she smiles firmly.

Ryuu's mouth opens and closes.

"Tsukiko - " he begins.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now," she tells him. "You have a lot of time until White Day. So don't say anything."

She leaves him standing there still holding the chocolates.

.

.

.

As Tsukiko starts unlocking her bike, getting ready to go home, she feels a hand clamp on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" she says.

Her heart sinks when she sees it's Ryuu. He's holding the chocolates and looking scared, uneasy, and determined all at once.

"Tsukiko," he says. "I'm really sorry, but - "

"Look, I said just wait until White Day, okay?" Tsukiko says, not unkindly. She pulls out the bike and swings her leg over it.

"But my answer's not going to change," he says, and something cracks in her.

"So there isn't a chance," Tsukiko says as levelly as she can, tucking the outstretched, uneaten chocolates back into her bag. "You're not even considering it."

One look at him tells her everything.

No, there isn't a chance. No, he won't consider it. No, he's never thought of her _that_ way and never will.

"Thanks, Tanaka," she says, and pedals away furiously.

.

.

.

"... and that's what happened," Tanaka says. "Now what do I do?"

The entire team stares at him, speechless.

Daichi steps forward, smiling dangerously and cracking his knuckles.

Asahi and Nishinoya pull him back, while Tsukishima looks up from his math homework, looking politely disinterested, but no one's fooled - Hinata's already blubbering like a baby, and Yamaguchi is screwing up his face so hard it looks like he could explode any minute.

"She gave you a valentine," said Daichi.

"Yes."

"She said she liked you."

"Yes."

"She said wait until White Day to give her an answer."

"Yes."

"You gave it back and said there was absolutely no chance you could ever like her, so please give up."

"Well, not exa - "

" _Are you stupid, or are you just plain clueless?_ "

"Uh - "

"Um, excuse me, captain," says Ennoshita.

Daichi turns.

Ennoshita points at the door hesitantly. "Suga's gone."

.

.

.

Tsukiko pedals as hard as she can, her hands gripping the handlebars so hard it would probably leave a mark. She doesn't care anymore, though. Skidding to a stop at an abandoned playground, she digs out the box of chocolates from her bag and slams it into a garbage can.

She doesn't notice a boy, slender and silver-haired, race up along the path towards her.

She doesn't see anything except for the blurred colours beyond her tears.


	8. the bitter taste of rejection

.

.

.

 _the bitter taste of_ rejection

.

.

.

"...iko. Tsukiko."

Her eyes open slowly. Two sincere brown eyes, mere inches away, stare back at her. Tsukiko, completely shocked, jumps so hard she smacks right into Suga. There is a crash, and Suga rubs his head, grimacing.

"Sorry," she says awkwardly. "You surprised me."

"It's all right," says Suga.

There's a pause.

"Well, how'd it go?" Tsukiko says. "The girl you like, I mean. Did she give you chocolate?"

Suga looks a little hesitant, Tsukiko pats the swing next to him and he sits down, swaying slightly.

"Actually, I witnessed her giving chocolate to someone I know," he says. "So no, she didn't."

Tsukiko sighs, trying not to sound too resigned. Koushi-kun's taking it hard too, she tells herself. At least try not to cry in front of him.

"Mine didn't go too well either."

Suga doesn't respond.

Tsukiko's bitten the side of her lip so hard there's something metallic pooling in her mouth. She grips the chains of the swing so hard it'll probably leave a mark on her hands later, but she couldn't possibly care less. Her chest hurts like someone's trying to squeeze the life out of her heart, and tears are bubbling up in her eyes again.

 _Strong,_ she tells herself weakly. _You're strong. Don't you dare start crying._

But who cares, now? She's just been roughly pushed aside by Ryuu. She hadn't even been _considered._ She'd thought maybe, just _maybe_ he'd come to like her in a month - a ridiculous, naive idea, but she'd clung to it like it was her lifeline.

How stupid she's been.

She takes a shaky breath and chokes, her body heaving.

"Tsukiko," Suga says, in his steady and comforting voice. He puts his hand over hers, and with that word, with that touch, Tsukiko breaks into a thousand unretrievable splinters.

Tears won't stop spilling over the corners of her eyes, slipping through the air and onto her skirt. Her hair's all tangled from riding her bike like a madwoman. So much for making myself look prettier, Tsukiko thinks. So much for Valentine's Day. Even her crying sounds ugly - great, choking sounds that wrack her throat and make her sides ache.

It hurts too much. Tsukiko can't keep all the tears inside anymore. She raises her head to the sky and screams.

.

.

.

She doesn't see her crumpled chocolates Suga takes out of his pocket.

She doesn't see the tears that snake down Suga's face, the grimace he makes to keep his own sobs contained within himself.

.

.

.

"How'd it go?" Saeko and Minami ask eagerly as she enters the house, followed by Suga.

"I was rejected," Tsukiko says quietly. Shoving her jacket onto a hook, she makes her way upstairs, her steps echoing hollowly behind her.

.

.

.

"What happened, Suga?" Saeko demands. "I haven't ever seen Tsukiko that upset before in my life!"

"Me neither," Minami adds worriedly. "She and Ryuu are such good friends, I was completely positive they'd be dating by tomorrow."

Suga blinks, then sighs.

"Tanaka still likes Shimizu," he explains softly. "Tsukiko knew that, but she still gave him the valentines."

"Shimizu? Oh, the pretty third-year," Saeko says, clucking her tongue. She glances up. "Poor Tsukiko. She put so much energy into making those chocolates."

"Thanks for bringing her home, Suga," Minami says. She gives him a smile, one that says she knows what exactly is going on.

"You're welcome," he replies, and closes the door behind him.

.

.

.

Outside, Suga takes out the box from his pocket again. He pries it open and cracks a slight smile at the simple but beautiful chocolates inside. It's true, after all, that Tsukiko puts her all into everything she does.

He looks at her bedroom window. Even the curtains can't hide her silhouette; the slender, shadowed form of Tsukiko bent over, her face buried in her hands.

Suga puts the box back into his pocket, and turns, his face hardened with new resolve. As the sun begins to sink, he puts his hand where his heart is, and sure enough, it's beating a quick, unsteady thrum.

Smiling ruefully, he starts to head home, ignoring the wetness that remains on his cheeks.


	9. fake laughter

.

.

.

 _fake laughter_

.

.

.

The next day, Tsukiko is full of smiles, her laugh is as loud as usual, the bounce returning to her step.

"Is she really okay?" Yamaguchi asks quietly as she cackles upon hearing that Nishinoya was (once again) mistaken for an elementary school kid.

Daichi heaves a sigh.

"The more depressed or sad Tsukiko is, the more cheerful she acts," is his reply. "If she's _this_ happy, it means she _really_ doesn't want anyone to notice that she's upset."

"Oh."

Yamaguchi watches, frowning, as Tsukiko roars with laughter. He observes as her eyes accidentally connect with Tanaka's. For a moment, there is complete, utter helplessness reflected in Tsukiko's face, but she turns back, and it's gone.

Daichi nods. "That's what I mean."

.

.

.

"I'm going home, okay?" Tsukiko calls over her shoulder about fifteen minutes in. The first years are practicing their spikes, the second years are talking about the recent math assignment, and Coach Ukai is barking out orders while waving at Yamaguchi to go ahead and spike already. "Sorry I can't stay for the whole practice!"

"Oh, okay," Daichi, Nishinoya, and Asahi chorus in surprise.

"Good work, guys!"

Shouldering her bag, Tsukiko walks out the door, making sure to close it behind her. Finally, she lets her shoulders drop and the smile slide off her face. She rubs furiously at her eyes, allowing herself a rueful smile. Good thing practice was canceled for the girls' team today; she doesn't think she could've continued talking in such a perky tone for any longer.

"No one seemed very suspicious," she says quietly as she swung her leg over her bicycle. "That's one thing to be happy about."

.

.

.

Halfway through practice, Shimizu hands out the water bottles and towels, while Coach Ukai roars a tired-sounding, "Nice work!" Suga looks down at the ground, his face contemplative, then with a nod of determination, he calls, "Can I talk to you in private right now, Tanaka?"

Curiously, everyone's heads swivel toward Tanaka, who says, quite surprised, "Okay."

Suga gives the team a look that clearly states, 'Please go back to your business,' and they comply, though not without some reluctance. He steps out, putting his bottle on the ground, and closes the door behind Tanaka.

"Is… there something you want to talk about?" the second-year says uncertainly.

Wordlessly, Suga takes Tsukiko's box of chocolates out from his pocket.

"Recognize this?" he says.

"What?" Sure enough, recognition slowly dawns in Tanaka's eyes. "That's - "

"Yes." Suga gives him a serious stare, placing it into Tanaka's hand.

"Tsukiko put a lot of effort into making it for you," he explains. "She was really looking forward to you seeing it, so you should eat at least one."

Tanaka's cheeks colour. "But - Suga-san - "

"Nobody told me to do this, if that's what you're thinking." Suga turns, and starts walking back towards the gym. "Not Tsukiko, not Daichi, not anyone. I'm doing this out of my own will. I'm doing it for her."

Tanaka takes a step forward.

"Wait, does that mean - "

But the silver-haired setter's already gone, and the sound of volleyballs bouncing off the ground spills out of the open gym door.

.

.

.

Sighing, Ryuu presses his lips together. It isn't like Suga to act like this. For a moment, he almost thought he saw something ferocious and protective flash in Suga's eyes at the mention of Tsukiko - but that must've been his imagination.

Ryuu looks at the slightly squashed box in his hand and his head lowers slightly. He didn't mean to make Tsukiko run off like that, and he definitely did _not_ mean to make her so upset, but he really didn't know how to tell her properly. He'd come off a little too blunt, and now even Suga-san (who _never_ got upset) was angry at him. As much as he moons and swoons over Kiyoko-san, he really _doesn't_ know anything about girls, or how to treat them.

He recalls Tsukiko's overly cheery "Good morning!" and the energetic smile she'd directed at the team, and he winces.

"Well, fine," Ryuu mutters.

Tugging the lid off the box, he takes a deep breath before reaching in and pulling out a chocolate. And when he does, he nearly drops everything on the ground.

The chocolate's spherical, with white icing outlining the likeness of a volleyball's seams. Even though the icing's a bit flattened, Ryuu can still see how carefully it was piped on.

He manages to crack a smile.

"You've really outdone yourself, Tsukiko," he says, taking a bite.

Suddenly, his eyes fill with tears, because the chocolate is sweet, filled with mochi, and melts in his mouth, and because he's always wanted to get a valentine like this: well-crafted, thoughtfully made, and symbolizing the effort a girl was willing to make for him. But it's not supposed to be like this, and as much as he loves Tsukiko, it's not really the same, and _oh hell, I must've made her cry -_

He looks down. The other two chocolates are also volleyballs, nestled in white tissue. It's so _like_ her not to use pink, even when it involved love. Ryuu sighs, pops them into his mouth one by one, and laughs quietly, before jogging back into the gym, the box folded neatly and in his pocket, and his sleeve wet from hastily wiping at his face.


	10. problems arising

**Hello everyone, and thanks for reviewing/favouriting/following this story thus far! Sorry I took so long to update, I've been working on my novel (93k words!) That's why this chapter is 1003 words and not, like, 700 like it usually is. Hopefully I can upload the next chapter soon, I can't wait to write the next part!**

.

.

.

 _problems arising_

.

.

.

Tsukiko _still_ can't make herself look at Ryuu.

It's already been two bloody days, and she feels like such a coward. All the smiles and laughing she has to fake is beginning to take a toll on her. She suddenly sinks with exhaustion at _nine o'clock in the morning_ , even before she has to pull the corners of her mouth up again _._ She keeps finding herself making twice the amount of lunch she needs every morning (Minami's beginning to give her odd looks when she gives the extra bento to her sister instead of to Ryuu). She turns around to make a witty comment, only to realize that Ryuu isn't there to hear it.

 _Act normal,_ she tells herself every day - no, hour - minute - second. _Act normal._

Tsukiko grits her teeth and throws the volleyball into the air. She leaps and her arm reaches up to slam down her usually strong jump serve, and promptly gets a ball-shaped print right in her face.

"Tsukiko?" Yui gives her a worried look, and the other girls are blinking at the fact that _Enami Tsukiko_ just jump-served a ball right into her own face. "Are you okay?"

Tsukiko closes her eyes and takes a deep, rattling breath.

"I'm fine, senpai," she says.

.

.

.

"H-Hey, Enami-san," Asahi says weakly.

"Hmm?"

Tsukiko looks up, and realizes that the entire team, Coach Ukai, Takeda-sensei, Ennoshita, and all, have stopped talking and are staring at her.

"What? What is it?"

"You- you- you're spearing your rice with your mechanical pencil," Hinata says finally, when no one else speaks. "And you just dipped your eraser into your curry."

.

.

.

The teacher slaps her desk with the ruler, making her start.

"Enami!" she shouts, and Tsukiko snaps out of her trance.

"Sensei?" she says, confused.

"I asked you the same question no less than _ten times_ , Enami! You are one of this class's top students, so kindly pay attention in class!" The teacher looks downright murderous, but then, her face softens.

"Did something happen, Enami?" she says. "Or do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

"No, no, I'm good," Tsukiko blurts. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Nishinoya scrunching up his nose at her, and the realization that Ryuu's also staring at her makes her jump. "It's - my - I was just daydreaming. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

.

.

.

"Daichi-san, we have to do something!" Nishinoya shouts as he enters the gym.

"About what?" Coach Ukai says.

Nishinoya skids to a stop.

"Tsukiko! You've seen how she's like today: Michimiya-senpai said she hit herself in the face with a volleyball at practice, we all saw how she was trying to eat with the things in her pencil case, and just now, she drifted off in class! She never drifts off in class!"

"She did _what?_ " Hinata said, jumping up.

"Yeah! We really need to - "

"Don't worry, Nishinoya," Daichi said, walking out of the gym. "Just wait. Things'll work out eventually."

.

.

.

Okay, well, he _said_ that, but even KAGEYAMA can tell he hasn't convinced himself.

Tsukiko's like a younger sister to Daichi - an over-energetic, hyperactive, violently aggressive younger sister, to be fair, but a sister nonetheless - and it makes his eyebrows burrow downwards at the sight of her being - being, well, like this. She's constantly staring off into space, occasionally mouthing something and mulling over it, and over the course of three days, she's bumped into exactly fifteen third-years, ten second-years, twenty-one first years, and the dean himself. She's walked right into the wall once, and even sat down in a first-year room for five whole minutes until Hinata noticed her and dragged her back to her classroom.

He doesn't like it. She's stronger than this, _that_ everyone knows, but she's just in complete, utter helpless confusion.

Asahi looks even more panicked today at lunchtime, and Ennoshita and Yamaguchi both look worried. The first and second years have actually come to their classroom to discuss the current problem, all of them holding their bentos and shouting with their mouths full. And Yui - Daichi fights the smile that's threatening to take over his face at the sight of her - is hurrying towards him, muttering in hushed tones about how Tsukiko has managed to accidentally mistake someone's head for a basketball in the middle of math class -

"We need to do something about this," he says to Suga, feeling completely overwhelmed by it all. Daichi sets down his chopsticks, pinching the bridge of his nose and hoping that his silver-haired friend has at least _some_ encouragement to offer. "We need to do something - anything - and we need to do it _now_ , or Tsukiko will end up trying to eat her shoe, or something like that - "

"She already tried that yesterday," Noya offers helpfully. "I saw."

Daichi groans, burying his head in his hands and violently massaging his temples.

"What should we do? What should we do?" a high pitched voice questions.

To his chagrined dismay, Daichi feels another migraine coming on. That idiot Hinata isn't helping at all, jumping all over the place like an orange frog, spewing rice and omelette bits, asking people what to do and occasionally letting a look of dumbfounded bewilderment cross his face -

Daichi opens his mouth to say that he'd like to spend the rest of the day in bed when Nishinoya suddenly stands.

"Maybe we don't have to do anything," he says, and as Daichi swivels his head around to look at a calmly smiling Tsukiko approaching Tanaka in the soccer field, he thinks that maybe Noya's right.

"Nothing to worry about, right?" says Suga cheerfully, and picks up his pencil sharpener with his chopsticks.

" _Suga-san_?!" everybody shrieks. Asahi collapses on his table, completely giving up.

"Not you, too," Daichi says, his head pounding like a gong.

"What?" Suga replies, looking around at his friends.


	11. breaking and fixing

**I'm really sorry for the long wait! This chapter is really short compared to others I've written, but I promise it'll get longer and better soon, because guess what arc is coming next ;) GOLDEN TRAINING WEEK! We'll get to see Nekoma in action, as well as Mr. Bedhead. Who will, of course, have a very interesting time figuring out why on earth does a girl with a personality like Yamamoto exist? And why does she get along so well with the blockheads of both teams?**

 **Update may come in about 3-7 days, as I'm participating in Gajevy week and that'll take a very long time...**

 **Thank you so much for the support! I promise I'll do my best!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

breaking and fixing

.

.

.

"So… you wanted to tell me something?" Ryuu asks in a voice that is about four octaves higher than normal.

Tsukiko almost wants to laugh her face off at the half-nervous, half-guilty look on his face. For once, he looks completely serious, and for the first time, he's actually _pink in the face_ because of her (half of her likes that. Half of her wants to squirm guiltily). She herself is probably blushing as well (scratch that, her cheeks feel like they've been set on fire), but the idea of Ryuu being embarrassed because of her presence can't help but make the butterflies in her stomach flutter towards her throat.

"Yeah," she says slowly and carefully. "Um, about last time - "

It doesn't take long for him to figure out what 'last time' refer to. Ryuu's mouth opens and closes rapidly, and Tsukiko feels maybe a corner- okay, a fraction - one fourth - half - all - of her heart crumble into a heap.

But she's already decided what she wanted to say to him, and she's planning to go through it the way she thought it out. It's been too awkward for too long between both of them, and she never wants it to be like this again. It's been, what, how many months now? About two. From trying to eat her stationery to staring off into space to acting like a dazed goldfish with her mouth gaping open all the time - she knows it's probably been horrible for Ryuu to witness. And she can clearly see that she's making the others worry as well: every time Asahi or Daichi or one of the first years see her their brows crinkle up. Especially the more emotional ones, like Hinata and Yamaguchi. It's kind of cute how they rush to her side and ask her if she needs help with anything, but the confused sadness in their eyes makes her flush with shame. Of course, Tsukishima is plainly disinterested in any of her problems, and Kageyama is always busy, with volleyball constantly on his brain, but it's becoming distressing to see Suga's eyes widen and drop to the ground at the sight of her.

"Listen," she says to Ryuu as truthfully as she can. "I'm sorry I sprung that on you on Valentine's Day. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I definitely wasn't taking your feelings into consideration when I ran off. I'm really sorry. Personally speaking, I've probably been acting like a mindless idiot these past few months, and I'm tired of making everyone so worried about me. Even _Ukai-san_ gives me funny looks these days.

"So - basically - I'd love it if you actually did, you know - " Her mouth goes dry for a minute, dry as a desert, but she forces herself to swallow and continue on. "But more than I want… more than I want that, I want our friendship back. I hate this tension between us because of what I did, and I'm hoping you can forgive me for being - for being - selfish."

Tsukiko bows as low as she can, and pretends that it isn't tears bubbling up in the corners of her eyes, listening to the painfully tight silence stretch and stretch until finally, she hears Ryuu clear his throat with difficulty and say -

"Y-Yeah. Sure."

"I can't lie, though, it's kind of ridiculous how red you are right now." She peeks up at him, smirking slyly like she always does, and just like that, everything is back to normal.

.

.

.

"Wowwww, that must've took guts," Hinata says in admiration, eyes wide.

"At least Enami-senpai won't try to eat her pens anymore," Kageyama replies as he practices his jump serve, a look of complete satisfaction crossing his face when the ball smacks the other side of the court with a resounding bang.

"Thank _heaven_ ," groans Asahi, slumping on the wall. "I didn't think my heart could take any more of it."

Daichi nods, hands still on his temples.

Suga only smiles and closes his eyes briefly in the afternoon sun, and wonders about what could have been.


	12. imminent disaster

**HELLO THERE!**

 **Thank you very much for the support I've received! I just realized just now that while I have 16 reviews on this story, I have 29 favourites, 71 follows, and OVER 5000 VIEWS! How crazy is that? 0.o Really crazy. I hope I can reach the high expectations I feel this is getting.**

 **That being said, here is the next chapter of Fragments of Dreams! We're heading into an arc that's making me really excited. THE CATS ARE COMING!**

 **I'm working on another Haikyuu story, which happens to be called Soak Up The Sun. It's a TsukiYachi/SugaKiyo/DaiYui story, so if you're interested, it's on my profile! I also wrote a few reader inserts for HQ, which you can find on my DA (52heartfilia). But I believe I won't be starting any new stories very soon... I've got a lot on my plate right now...**

 **Thank you for your patience, and here you go! Rest assured, while this chapter is unbelievably short, there is another on its way...**

.

.

.

 _imminent disaster_

.

.

.

"GOLDEN WEEK TRAINING, YES," crows Tsukiko, punching the air. Tsukishima pops the white headphones off his head and gives her a condescending look, mouth curled in a smirk.

"Excuse me for being rude," he drawls, and Tsukiko knows right away he doesn't mean it at all, "but you're sounding surprisingly like our team's meatheaded mascots right now, senpai."

Noya, Tanaka, and Hinata take about three point five seconds to digest this and leap up into the air indignantly when they realize what Tsukishima's implying.

"Nonsense, Tsukki," she replies cheerfully, pulling down the three boys before they pounce on the still-smiling middle blocker. She grins when a spark of irritation enters his eye, and puts her hands on her hips. "Well, since Sacchan, Arecchi, and Riko-senpai aren't able to join us on the last three days of Golden Week, our practice will have to be set at an earlier date - which means I won't be able to attend your after-school practices for a while." A frown tugs at her mouth, but Tsukiko brightens instantly at the next thought. "However, that means I get to do Golden Week Training with you guys for the last three days! That should be fun."

Noya and Tanaka take involuntary steps back, the former permitting himself a rather undignified screech of horror.

"You're _what_?" yelps the other second-years in terrified unison.

(Asahi just raises his eyes to the heavens and prays that he's having a horrible dream.)

"What? What's wrong?" Hinata darts around like a ninja, fists raised in an attempt to force back whatever suspicious and threatening thing has caused the upperclassmen to react in such an extreme way.

Daichi fixes Tsukiko with a flat, disbelieving stare, but her eager expression never wavers. In fact, it only seems to grow.

"I can, though, can I?" She looks to Coach Ukai for an answer.

He sniffs, crossing his arms and giving her a long and speculative look.

"Are you going to distract everybody with your antics?" he asks.

"Nope!"

"Are you going to play pranks on the first years and Asahi-san like you did last year on New Year's?" Ennoshita adds helpfully.

("Why was _I_ grouped in with them?" Asahi protests weakly. Narita only grins at him, remembering the shrill shriek said ace had emitted when Tsukiko had leaped out from around a corner with a monkey mask strapped around her face.)

"No!"

"Can you reward our hard efforts by making us your best katsu curry on the last day of Golden Week?" Suga puts in, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement at her excitement.

Hinata, Kageyama, and Yamaguchi whip around at this, the former two already starting to salivate at the very idea.

"K-Katsu," begins Hinata shakily.

"Curry?" Kageyama finishes in a weak voice.

"Sure I can," Tsukiko replies amiably, mouthing a quick _thanks_ to the grey-haired setter.

He only nods and smiles breezily back, the slightest hint of satisfaction pulling at the corners of his mouth.

(Noya discreetly waggles his eyebrows suggestively at Suga, only to receive a rather harsh poke in the ribs from a darkly glowering Daichi.)

"So I can?" Tsukiko awaits the coach's response with much anticipation, looking remarkably similar to a puppy begging for a treat. Her eyes literally shimmer with eagerness, to the point where even Takeda-sensei is starting to nod in agreement.

Ukai wrinkles his nose at her.

"Fine, then," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "As long as you don't keep the boys up past ten, or launch a full-out pillowfight at one in the morning, or booby-trap the washroom, you're all set."

"Oh, you know me too well," Tsukiko says coyly, mock-winking at Coach Ukai, who looks like he's already regretting his decision. "How'd you know those exact things were running through my mind? You've only known me for a few months, coach."

"Because that's all there is to know," Ukai deadpans. "And oi, I only said you could if you agreed - Enami? Enami?"

Yeah, uh, sorry about that," Daichi says kind of sheepishly as HInata, Tsukiko, Noya, and Tanaka start leaping up and down in excitement, completely ignoring their slack-jawed coach. "We'll have to deal with that, too…"

Ukai can only sigh.

"Can't say I didn't expect that."

"Her curry's worth the trouble, though," Suga hastens to add.

Nevertheless, Ennoshita stares straight ahead, face cheerfully blank and eyes devoid of hope.

"This is going to be a long, long week," he says, before a stray fist (Tsukiko's) slams right into his face, promptly knocking the unsuspecting second year dead unconscious.


	13. new beginnings

**Have a double chapter. And a wonderful day! I've been fifteen since April 7, and it feels great!**

.

.

.

 _new beginnings_

.

.

.

"So… this is where I'll be staying, huh?"

Tsukiko stares up at Kiyoko's house, grudgingly impressed, and adjusts the strap of her bag against her shoulder.

"I've already prepared the spare room for you," says the older girl, opening the gate. "We'll have to wake early tomorrow to prepare breakfast for everyone, but otherwise, please relax and enjoy yourself."

It's extremely hard to hate a person like Shimizu-senpai, Tsukiko thinks glumly to herself as she removes her shoes and straightens. It's also hard to like herself; ever since she ran into Karasuno's manager the year before, she's always had the slight dip of self-consciousness tickling the back of her mind whenever she's around Shimizu. Maybe it's how effortlessly beautiful the third year always seems, or how calmly she approaches situations, problems, and people. It makes Tsukiko a little more than envious to see that this is the kind of person Ryuu likes. Elegant, gracious, measured.

Exactly the opposite of herself.

Tsukiko shakes her head violently, and exhales. Recovering from a rejection, gentle or otherwise, will no doubt take a toll on her these three days, despite their friendship - coupled with the fact that she'd see Ryuu a lot as well - but she'll pull through it.

Or so she hopes.

She doesn't even know why she likes him sometimes. He's bald, easily excited, rude, and his temper flares up every so often - just like hers. Maybe that's why, she thinks to herself as she sets her bag down on the floor of her bedroom. They're so similar in the way they want to protect the people they love, so similar in their personalities and their judgements, so similar that she feels that they could be more. So close that they feel so far apart, despite their fiery camaraderie.

Maybe she just wants to be close to him.

Tsukiko grumbles incoherently under her breath, cursing Ryuu and his stupidly adorable face. His rough exterior and kind heart. His earnestness and willingness to move forward. His drive. His passion. His overall - self.

It's going to take a very long while to get used to the fact that he'll probably never direct that adoring, admiring, _awed_ look at her. That despite the fact that they seem like brother and sister, there's no chance that they'll ever be more than that.

.

.

.

The steamy bath she takes eases the stress out of her limbs and she stretches in content, having eaten a good dinner. Both the meal and the bath, as well as the low thrum of music in her earbuds, has chased away most of her depressing thoughts, and now she slips on her slippers, humming tunelessly along to the song. Shimizu-senpai's mother is a wonderful cook - it's no wonder Shimizu-senpai herself can cook so well.

Tsukiko climbs on top of her bed and starts to rub the water out of her hair with the help of a towel, and she yawns softly.

She wonders distantly, as she gazes out the window, how Ryuu and the others are doing.

.

.

.

"GRAAGH," Hinata says as he squirms deeper into his blanket, trying to escape from the clutches of daylight and movement. The rebelling curls of orange sneaking out from beneath the covers stick up in amazingly wild angles, and drool has dried on one side of his mouth. He blinks himself awake - or tries to, anyway - only to be greeted by a pair of mischievous golden eyes mere millimetres away from his face.

"Argh!" He starts to scramble away, then realizes belatedly that the owner of those eyes is someone very familiar.

"HEY!" Tsukiko accidentally shouts, then claps a hand over her mouth. "Whoops. I mean, good morning!"

"E...n...anmi-senpai?" Hinata slurs, pushing himself up with his elbows. "That you?"

"The one and only!"

She's crouched over him, her short red hair neatly brushed and her fingers flashing him a cheerful peace sign.

"Whatcha doing here?" the short wing spiker manages to ask.

Tsukiko stands, putting her hands on her hips and grinning madly. Too late, Hinata sees that she's fully dressed: shorts, violently clashing orange T-shirt, flip-flops and all.

"It's breakfast time," she sings in a way of reply.

The sound of muted groans and rustling tells Hinata that their conversation has not gone unheard. In fact, it seems like most of the room's inhabitants are now roused from their previously peaceful slumber.

"TSUKIKO!" Noya and Ryuu yell, when they see her. Instantly awake, they jump to their feet and wave ecstatically.

Hinata nods to himself when Tsukiko high-fives the both of them without hesitation, bellowing back a bright reply. It's good that they've made up now, he thinks. Both Enami-senpai and Tanaka-senpai look way more relaxed now that they can communicate without awkwardness. In fact, they all look… _happy._ And that fact itself makes Hinata happy, as well.

But, well, there's a certain somebody who is decidedly _not_ happy at that very moment, and that certain somebody has just been rudely awakened by the noise that four certain inconsiderate blockheads have been making in the very early hours of morning.

"ENAMI TSUKIKO," roars a very incensed Sawamura Daichi amidst the growing hubbub, the yawns, and the mumbled " _good morning, Tsukiko, hey, wait, what are you doing in the boys' room_ "s, and with that, another hectic day of training has begun.


End file.
